JUPITER, Fla. (AP) – John Lackey pitched three perfect innings in his spring training debut, outpitching David Price in the St. Louis Cardinals’ 2-1 victory over the Detroit Tigers on Monday.
Cardinals manager Mike Matheny let the 36-year-old Lackey set his own pace during camp and it has paid off. The right-hander struck out four and needed only 37 pitches.

In his third outing of the spring, David Price was nearly as efficient as Lackey, throwing four scoreless innings of one hit ball while striking out five and walking one. Yoenis Cespedes returned to the Tigers lineup after missing a couple games with a quadriceps injury, and showed little sign of rust. He sent a pitch from Lackey to the right field warning track in the second inning and doubled off Carlos Villanueva in the fifth. Pete Kozma had an RBI single.

Six on Six girls basketball has been gone for almost two decades. Nostalgia still exists, however, for thousands who actually played this unique game. Thousands more loyal fans flocked to watch their local team play—especially when they earned a trip to the State Tournament where “The Sweet Sixteen” battled to crown but a single state champ. Even though many of the communities had less than 1000 inhabitants, “the big barn” was usually packed, as friends, relatives and neighbors jumped into their cars and headed to the city. Virtually no businesses remained open and employees were usually given the day off without question. Send-off celebrations were usually held for departing teams and car caravans and assemblies highlighted their return—win or lose!

One such community was Elk Horn-Kimballton, who sent a number of team to “the dance”. They called themselves the “Lady Danes,” a name that advertised perhaps the only thing more sacred than basketball— their Danish heritage. After all, how many other communities would come up with the idea of dismantling an authentic Danish windmill in Denmark, shipping it over the Atlantic Ocean and then reconstructing it, piece by piece in their own tiny community, becoming one of the largest tourist attractions in Iowa. This same proud community has also established its own Danish celebration (Tivoli Fest), held every year on the Saturday and Sunday of Memorial Day, which this year will be May 23 & 24.

A prelude to this year’s Tivoli will be held on the Friday evening (May 22). This event will celebrate not only EH-K’s rich basketball heritage, but also that of a number of neighboring communities. The celebration will come in the form of ‘exhibition’ mini-games that feature former 6 on 6 players and coaches from the following 12 local schools (or former schools):

Elk Horn-Kimballton, Atlantic, Walnut, Exira, Shelby-Tennant, Manning, Manilla, Harlan, Irwin-Kirkman, AvoHa, Audubon and Tri-Center.

This article will serve as the first call to former players and coaches to sign-up to participate in these games—either as a player, coach— OR—just to be introduced as a former 6 on 6 player. Additional calls for players and coaches will be made and eventually pairings and times of games will be announced.

Anyone reading this article that is— or knows someone who is– a former 6 on 6 player or coach from any of these schools is asked to contact Coach Rod Hoegh via email (rsh215@hotmail.com). Players and coaches from other schools are also welcome to contact Hoegh and he will do his best to place you on a team.   Additional volunteers will be needed as officials, PA announcers, scoreboard operators and official score keepers who are also asked to contact Hoegh. There will be a small admission ($2 adults/$1 students) to cover basic expenses with any profit going to the Tivoli Fest fund and/or the EH-K activity fund.

The 7:22-a.m. Sportscast w/Jim Field

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2014-15 Rolling Valley Girls Basketball All-Conference
1st Team
Madie Sorensen (Fr., Adair-Casey); Felecity Jackson (Soph., C-A-M); McKenna Zanders (Sr., Coon Rapids-Bayard); Rachel Smith (Sr., Exira/Elk Horn-Kimballton); Mara Burmeister (Soph., Exira/Elk Horn-Kimballton); Sophia Peppers (Fr., Exira/Elk Horn-Kimballton); Julia Fleecs (Soph., Glidden-Ralston); Carleigh Paup (Jr., Paton-Churdan).

2nd Team
Zoey Dinkla (Jr., Adair-Casey); Jenna Hausman (Jr., Ar-We-Va); Kelsey Winnett (Sr., Coon Rapids-Bayard); Maggie Rasmussen (Soph., Exira/Elk Horn-Kimballton); Holly Handlos (Soph., Glidden-Ralston); Kasey Lane (Jr., Paton-Churdan); Sydney Koch (Jr., Paton-Churdan); Megan Maaske (Sr., Woodbine).

2014-15 Rolling Valley Boys Basketball All-Conference
1st Team
Emmitt Wheatley (Sr., Adair-Casey); Austin Stoelk (Sr., Ar-We-Va); Derick Schurke (Soph., Ar-We-Va); Brandon Hagge (Sr., Ar-We-Va); Trevor Hachmeister (Sr., Coon Rapids-Bayard); Jake Paulsen (Sr., Exira/Elk Horn-Kimballton); Jake Carey (Sr., Paton-Churdan); Noah Juergensen (Jr., Paton-Churdan).
2nd Team
Charlie Terry (Sr., Adair-Casey); Jake Danner (Soph., Ar-We-Va); Calvan Wood (Sr., Boyer Valley); Joe Weber (Fr., Boyer Valley); Jesse Hupp (Soph., Charter Oak-Ute); Sam Honold (Sr., Coon Rapids-Bayard); Sam Halverson (Sr., Coon Rapids-Bayard); Wes Reever (Sr., Glidden-Ralston).
Honorable Mention
Boyer Valley: Kyle Behrendt (Sr.), Cody Thoreson (Sr.). Charter Oak-Ute: Ryan Vogt (Sr.), Spencer Gress (Soph.), Hunter Clausen (Soph.). West Harrison: Trey LaGois (Sr.), Cody Niewohner (Sr.). Woodbine: Mike Barrett (Jr.), Kevin Lee (Jr.).

2014-15 WIC Girls Basketball All-Conference
1st Team
Morgan Muhlbauer (Sr., IKM-Manning); Steffi Cunard (Sr., Logan-Magnolia); Kayli Christensen (Sr., Treynor); Kali Rasmussen (Sr., IKM-Manning); Baily Janssen (Sr., Missouri Valley); Hannah Larsen (Jr., Tri-Center); Danikah Grobe (Sr., AHST/Walnut).

2nd Team
Emily Haubrich (Jr., Audubon); Madison Paulsen (Soph., Treynor); Makenzie Cunard (Fr., Logan-Magnolia); Morgan Gust (Sr., Audubon); Kia Rasmussen (Fr., IKM-Manning); Kirsten Lehan (Sr., Tri-Center); Laura Hempel (Sr., Treynor).

Honorable Mention
Sierra Ford (Sr., Missouri Valley); Jeana Freund (Jr., Griswold); Lauren Shapcott (Fr., Underwood); Kylan Straight (Fr., Logan-Magnolia); Sheyenne Smith (Sr., Riverside); Abby Straight (Jr., Logan-Magnolia); Jaycie Schueman (Soph., AHST/W); Courtney Rudolph (Sr., Audubon); Kayla Kirchoff (Sr., Griswold); Katelyn Schechinger (Sr., IKM-Manning); Joeona Healey (Sr., Logan-Magnolia); Haley Stueve (Sr., Missouri Valley); Taylor Frain (Sr., Riverside); Madelyn Deitchler (Fr., Treynor); Hailee Hansen (Sr., Tri-Center); Cailynn Wichman (Soph., Underwood).

2014-15 WIC Boys Basketball All-Conference
1st Team
Sam Wegner (Sr., IKM-Manning); Kyle Wagner (Jr., IKM-Manning); Nolan Chapman (Jr., Treynor); Jacob Flathers (Sr., Treynor); Trey Robinson (Sr., Treynor); Sam Sorensen (Sr., Tri-Center); Caleb Wichman (Sr., Underwood).

2nd Team
Lee Whyte (Sr., AHST/Walnut); Justin Miller (Jr., Missouri Valley); Cody Eischeid (Sr., IKM-Manning); Jared Vollstedt (Jr., IKM-Manning); Walker Mundorf (Sr., Griswold); Seth Svejda (Jr., Missouri Valley); Tyler Krueger (Jr., Riverside); Mason Boucher (Sr., Griswold).

Honorable Mention
Andrew Blomme (Jr., Audubon); Steve Jacobsen (Sr., AHST/Walnut); RJ Harris (Fr., AHST/Walnut); Jim Lake (Jr., Logan-Magnolia); Tyler Riebhoff (Fr., Audubon); Kolby Morrison (Fr., Logan-Magnolia); Henry Nagengast (Sr., AHST/W); Mitchell Nelsen (Jr., Audubon); Caleb Schaaf (Sr., Griswold); Colton Hacker (Sr., IKM-Manning); Jarek Richardson (Jr., Logan-Magnolia); Reid Kirlin (Sr., Missouri Valley); Tanner Storrow (Soph., Riverside); Trey Castle (Soph., Treynor); Devin Heinen (Sr., Tri-Center); Isaiah Humphrey (Soph., Underwood).

Iowa, Iowa State and Northern Iowa are all in the NCAA men’s basketball tournament.  The pairings for the 68 team field were announced Sunday afternoon.

The Hawkeyes are the 7th seed in the South Region and will play a second round game on Friday at 6:20 pm CDT vs. 10th seed Davidson on TNT.  Iowa is 21-11 and Davidson is 24-7.  The game will be played at the Key Arena in Seattle, Washington.

The Cyclones, winners of the Big 12 Tournament title, are the 3rd seed in the South Region and will play on Thursday at 11:40 am CDT against 14th seed Alabama-Birmingham at the KFC Yum! Center in Louisville, Kentucky on TruTV.  Iowa State is 25-8 and UAB is 19-15.

The Panthers, Missouri Valley Conference champions, are the 5th seed in the East Region and will face 12th seed Wyoming in the second round at the Key Arena in Seattle, Washington on Friday at 12:40pm CDT on TBS.  UNI is 30-3 while the Cowboys are 25-9.

The Iowa-Davidson game will be heard on KJAN Friday.

FORT MYERS, Fla. (AP) – Brian Dozier hit his second home run of the spring, a two-run shot off Carlos Martinez in the third inning, and the Minnesota Twins and the St. Louis Cardinals played to a 6-6, nine-inning tie Sunday.  With a strong contingent of Cardinals fans making the drive across the state, Martinez left after 3 1-3 innings with a 5-0 deficit.

Twins right-hander Kyle Gibson, a former first-round pick from the University of Missouri, opened with four scoreless innings. Gibson struck out four and allowed just two hits, back-to-back singles in the third.
Randal Grichuk, who homered against the Twins on Saturday in Jupiter, got the Cardinals on the board with a two-run double off Tim Stauffer in the sixth. The Cardinals rallied to tie the game on Dean Anna’s sacrifice fly in the ninth.

Stauffer struggled for the third straight time this spring. In 2 1-3 innings, he allowed four earned runs on six hits.

4A State Tournament – Consolation Final

Iowa City, West 56, Des Moines, Hoover 47

4A State Championship

North Scott, Eldridge 44, Pleasant Valley 36

3A State Tournament – Consolation Final

Cedar Rapids Xavier 49, Williamsburg 38

3A State Championship

Wahlert, Dubuque 46, LeMars 38

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – Josh Carter scored 18 points and Dubuque Wahlert held off a late charge to beat Le Mars 46-38 Saturday and win its second consecutive Class 3A state championship.

Carter’s 12 points in the final 5 1/2 minutes, including a 3-pointer and 7-for-8 free throw shooting, enabled the Golden Eagles (18-9) to keep the Bulldogs at bay and give the school its fifth basketball title.

Nolan Timp scored nine points for Wahlert and Cordell Pemsl added eight points and eight rebounds for a team toughened by a schedule made up mostly of larger Class 4A schools.

All-tournament captain Tyler Borchers’ 14 points and eight rebounds led Le Mars (22-5), which reached the championship game for the first time since 1946. Tyler Paulson and Pete Meis each had eight points Le Mars.

Carter’s scoring was critical because Pemsl, a 6-foot-8 junior and leading the team with a 17.8 scoring average, got into early foul trouble and eventually fouled out.

Le Mars ran off the first six points of the fourth quarter to chop an 11-point deficit to 32-27 on Borchers’ two free throws with 5:47 remaining. That’s when Carter went to work.

He sank two free throws and dropped in a 3 from the left corner to take the lead to 37-27. When Le Mars drew to 41-37 on two more Borchers’ free throws, Carter stayed aggressive with the ball, drew fouls and sank 5 of 6 free throws to wrap it up.

Le Mars overcame Borchers’ early foul trouble to take a 16-12 halftime lead. But the Bulldogs shot just 1-for-8 in the third quarter, Wahlert went on a 17-1 run and the Golden Eagles led the rest of the way. They forced four turnovers during that burst, got a couple of buckets inside from Pemsl, who has said he’ll sign with the University of Iowa, and back-to-back 3s from Riley Till and Timp.

Wahlert’s five titles are tied for the fifth most of all time in the state.